Posts Tagged ‘spanish school in Montevideo’

On the 16th of January the students of La Herradura went to the Juan Manuel Blanes museum and the botanical gardens located in the wealthy neighbourhood of Prado in Montevideo. We started off by visiting Juan Manuel Blanes museum which displays an eclectic collection of art from throughout the years since the founding of Uruguay. The museum displays art from numerous artists including Juan Manuel Blanes, Pedro Figari, Rafael Barradas and Jose Cuneo.

Blanes has painted a number of pieces which are key to the Uruguayan national identity. The moment of Uruguayan independence was depicted by Blanes’ in the portrait “Thirty Three Easterners”. This displays the moment when the revolutionaries in Uruguay successfully held an insurrection against the brazilian authorities that were in control of Uruguay at that time – this event resulted in Uruguay gaining independence. A further painting of significance to the history of the Uruguayan history was ‘The battle of Sarandi’, another milestone in Uruguay’s history.

Blanes was also well-known for his portrait paintings which were particularly successful with the local gentry. His most famous portrait painting was that of Artigas en la Ciudadela, which he painted as a homage to the adored Uruguayan patriot Jose Gervasio Artigas.

After this we visited the nearby botanical gardens.The Botanical Garden was created in the year 1902 by the Economic Board of Uruguay and named after its greatest advocate, “Atilio Lombardo” who worked tirelessly to instate the gardens. The park is comprised of a huge area of greenery with many different types of plants and trees which Montevideanos are able to admire and be at peace with, as they walk through the extensive area of the park. The park was designed by the landscape architect Carlos Racine. The function of a botanical garden is to illustrate a way of living peacefully with nature and to show us the importance of respecting the environment that we have before we lose it due to our own selfish actions of deforestation and pollution. We also passed many impressive houses due to the fact that Barrio Prado is a very wealthy neighbourhood.

The park receives more than 400,000 visitors every year and so that they can recognise the over 1000 different types of plants that exist, cards are placed below the plants which contain their common and scientific names. There is also a greenhouse that exists in the botanical gardens which houses various types of tropical, medicinal and aquatic plants. The international exchange of seeds between more than 500 botanical gardens worldwide allows for the cultivation of new seeds in greenhouses and enables the parks to display many non-native plants as well.

At the end we visited a bar also located in the Prado neighbourhood. We enjoyed the beers and wines on offer including the traditional uruguayan media y media drink, consisting of a mixture of wine and champagne. There were also a large selection of reasonably priced pizzas so we were able to dine there as well. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience for all the students at La Herradura!

It is difficult to imagine a Uruguayan that does not drink Mate. It is an essential part of the national culture. But what is Mate?

In Uruguay Mate is not just a drink but a way of life. Our students got to experience this first hand with a lesson on how to properly prepare and drink Mate. The people of Uruguay don’t drink Mate because they are thirsty, they drink it because it is part of their culture to drink and share Mate with friends. To drink Mate is a social occasion which one spends with your friends or family. If you invite some friends round to your house, as soon as you have greeted them it is customary to offer them Mate. Mate is consumed in Lebanon as well as Syria, which is the largest importer of it in the world.

Mate preparation consists of 4 elements:

The Mate herb comes from the yerba mate tree, originating in south America and grows spontaneously in the temperate and slightly cooler areas of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. The herb contains a reasonable amount of caffeine. The level of caffeine in Mate is somewhere between tea and coffee.

The mate cup is made from dried calabash that is transformed into a container.
The mate container must be thoroughly cured before being used as a container to drink the Mate infusion.

The bombilla is an implement generally made of metal and is the accessory that has the function of absorbing and filtering the mate infusion. It is composed of a long tube with one end being a curved filter with small holes to make sure small chunks of the herb themselves do not enter the bombilla. The other end acts as a nozzle which one has to suck with a fair amount of force for the Mate infusion to rise up the bombilla and enter your mouth. The bombilla as we know it today dates back to the 18th century.

El thermo is the glass container whose double walls form a vacuum inside to keep the water for the mate hot for many hours. The lid of the thermo is shaped as a tubular spout to allow for a more efficient distribution of the hot water. The abandonment of the boiler to prepare the Mate infusion was a Uruguayan initiative. The thermal flask liberated the mate outside of the home. For this reason it is very common in Uruguay for people to drink Mate in all sorts of different public places. Strolling around Montevideo, you are able to see many people carrying around their thermal flask and mate container. The most popular public place for people to gather, socialise and drink Mate is in one of the public parks or at the rambla by the beach.

In conclusion, the importance of Mate for Uruguayans must never be underestimated as it forms a huge part of their way of life.

My name is Toby, I am from England and I am undertaking the marketing internship here at La Herradura. I have been here for 3 weeks now and thought I’d give an update on my experience so far at La Herradura and in Montevideo to give prospective students an idea of what to expect.

The lifestyle here in Montevideo is much more laid back than that of the UK and other European countries. I have gotten to know many Uruguayans through other people that are either living or studying at La Herradura, which has enabled me to have lots of Spanish practice as well as make plenty of new friends. I have also made plenty of international friends as the school receives students from all across the globe. There are also lots of sporting opportunities to get involved in. I have joined a local gym 10 minutes walking distance from the school and have played 5 a side football with Uruguayans I have met through mutual friends. Many Uruguayans also enjoy running along the Rambla which is the beautiful 26km long walkway which runs along the beach.

The Spanish teaching at the school has also impressed me. The classes are kept small, the quality of teaching is high, and the teachers are very personable. These aspects help create a friendly and supportive learning environment in which one can learn a great deal in just a small amount of time. You are given a language level test at the start to assess your Spanish level so that classes can be tailored to your level. The school have produced their own Spanish exercise books as well which is very useful for self-study.

La Herradura has also organised numerous trips for all the students to attend. We have visited museums ranging from the Gaucho Museum to the Museum of Art History, which displayed many iconic pieces from a multitude of cultures. The school’s pupils have also visited the local Ferias which are huge market stalls dotted across the city selling everything from fresh fruit and veg to clothing and accessories. I have written in greater detail about these experiences in my other blog posts.

Overall my experience here so far has been very enjoyable and I would recommend to anyone interested in learning Spanish to attend the Spanish courses here on offer at La Herradura. You have the option of attending courses in the bustling capital city of Montevideo or the picturesque beach-laden location of Punta Del Este. Not only will you receive excellent teaching, but you will be able to discover more about the fascinating and truly welcoming Uruguayan culture.

Make sure to keep an eye out on this page for more updates regarding my experience at La Herradura and in Uruguay.

In 1962 many archaeological pieces were acquired from Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica. The most striking piece acquired is the Olmec head in rock sculpture, seen in the picture above. This is a large stone representation of a human head developed by the first major civilisation in Mesoamerica, the Olmecs. It is believed that these sculptures are representations of powerful rulers from Olmec society. // En 1962 se adquirieron muchas piezas arqueológicas de México, Guatemala y Costa Rica. La pieza más sorprendente adquirida es la cabeza olmeca en escultura de roca, que se ve en la imagen de arriba. Esta es una gran representación en piedra de una cabeza humana desarrollada por la primera civilización importante en Mesoamérica, los olmecas. Se cree que estas esculturas son representaciones de poderosos gobernantes de la sociedad olmeca.

Many other works from south America were brought to the museum in the 1980s. Included in these works are pieces from the Chancay civilisation, a pre-Colombian civilisation that inhabited the coastal areas of Peru from around CE 1000 to 1470. Two Moche textile pieces, a silver Chimu crown ornament and ceramic pieces from the Nariño culture of Colombia are also on display in the museum. Such pieces are truly unique. // Muchas otras obras de América del Sur fueron llevadas al museo en la década de 1980. Se incluyen en estas obras piezas de la civilización chancay, una civilización precolombina que habitó las zonas costeras de Perú desde aproximadamente el CE 1000 hasta 1470. Dos piezas textiles de Moche, un adorno de plata de chimú y piezas de cerámica de la cultura Nariño de Colombia.

The second concern was about being able to receive the necessary documentation to live and work in Uruguay and the considerable time and hassle it takes to receive the required documentation. Receiving a working visa is also an issue many of them are struggling with. Most of the market traders we asked were from other south American or central American countries such as Cuba. // La segunda preocupación fue sobre la posibilidad de recibir la documentación necesaria para vivir y trabajar en Uruguay y el considerable tiempo y la molestia que conlleva recibir la documentación requerida. Recibir una visa de trabajo también es un problema con el que muchos de ellos están luchando. La mayoría de los comerciantes del mercado que pedimos provenían de otros países de América del Sur o América Central, como Cuba debido a los problemas sociales y gubernamentales que tienen sus países.

The third concern held by such market traders was in being able to bring their families to come and live in Uruguay with them due to the tight rules and regulations regarding immigration to the country. // La tercera preocupación de estos comerciantes del mercado fue la de poder traer a sus familias para que vengan a vivir a Uruguay con ellos debido a las estrictas normas y regulaciones con respecto a la inmigración al país que estan teniendo ultimamente.

Afterwards the students were able to enjoy the fresh range of fruit and vegetables on offer at this Feria including juicy mangoes as well as huge creamy avocados, all available for a bargain price. // Luego, los estudiantes pudieron disfrutar de la fresca gama de frutas y verduras que se ofrecen en estas ferias, que incluyen mangos jugosos, enormes aguacates cremosos y otros tipos de alimentos bien frescos, todos a un precio de “ganga”.